


Vampyre

by scarletmanuka



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, Precious Peter Parker, Starker Bingo 2019, Tony is lonely, vampire!Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:23:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: Anthony has drifted for centuries, hiding from all, tired and alone. One night he stops by a diner and meets Peter Parker, a young man who truly sees Anthony for the first time.





	Vampyre

**Author's Note:**

> For the Starker Bingo square 'Vampire AU'

It was a miserable night, wet and soggy with an oppressive humidity lingering in the air. Anthony wiped rain from his face, grateful that he no longer sweated like a human as he would have been even more drenched then. He paused on the pavement, looking up and down the unfamiliar street, unsure even which city he was in. He had been restless for centuries, roaming from town to town, country to country, never lingering, never putting down roots. His maker, Obadiah was long dead - by Anthony’s hand - and he’d been hunted for some time by others like him for that act of defiance. Anthony felt no remorse for ridding the world of such evil and his pursuers had given up after a decade or two, not wasting any more time avenging a creature who did not deserve it, only hunting him out of duty. He could have gone back then, back to the ancient places where more of his kind remained, but the world was evolving, opening up and blossoming before his eyes and Anthony had wanted to be part of that.

He’d wandered and seen and learned and devoured as much knowledge as he could, and yet he never settled, never made friends, never turned a companion to stay with him throughout the millenia. He was alone, so very alone.

The world continued to change and eventually the truth of his kind was revealed to the world. There was little panic, humans being more adaptable than his kind ever gave them credit for, and true to form, the humans found a way to turn this revelation to their advantage. They named them Vampyre and they then found a way to market the creatures of the night. Scientists discovered the properties that advanced their healing, and kept them from aging, recreating it to a degree to be sold to the richest of the rich. Celebrity was there for the taking for any vampyre who wanted it, and with it came adoration and willing ‘donors’. A synthetic blood replacement beverage, or BRB was created, removing the need of the vampyre to feed upon humans, though there were some who would never settle for anything less than blood fresh from the source. Anthony’s kind only killed when they fed if they felt like it and willing donors began to come forward, offering themselves up to hungry vampyres, a voluntary buffet, ready for the taking.

Anthony had only indulged a handful of times from these volunteers, much preferring the BRB. Feeding on a living being came with complications and despite the wide-spread acceptance of their kind, there were still daily attacks on vampyres by humans who felt the need to scourge them from the face of the earth. Anthony was alone, with no one to watch his back, and so the fewer risks he took, the safer he would be. Very few vampyres had been attacked whilst indulging in BRB compared to the majority who were killed whilst feeding on humans, and so it was a matter of safety and not taste that led him to this habit. Yes, he missed the rich and vibrant taste of real blood, but it wasn’t worth a stake through the heart. He may be alone but Anthony was fond of the life that he had and he very much wanted to continue his existence.

He spied a diner down the road and noted the flashing sign above it, declaring that they sold BRBs and he made his way towards it, passing by the several bars along the way that also sold it. Diners were safer, quieter, and generally had less people looking for a fight, something that Anthony prefered to avoid. No one paid him any notice as he passed, the low-grade glamour he cast constantly keeping him just a blip on their horizons. It was second nature now, something he did without thought, the glamour taking hardly any of his energy but a priceless defence mechanism nonetheless. It allowed him to skirt through town after town, being forgotten almost as soon as eyes settled on him, never allowing anyone to see the real him. They may have vague recollections of coming into contact with a dark and brooding man, but they wouldn’t be able to describe him or recognise him for what he was.

It was well after midnight now but the city he was in had an active nightlife and so it was busier than he preferred. He skirted the crowds, moving through them like smoke, and made his way to the quieter diner. A bell above the door tinkled as he entered, and he took a moment to allow his sensitive eyes to adjust to the bright fluorescent lighting, running a hand through his wet hair to rid himself of the excess moisture. 

“Table for one?” a voice asked and Anthony looked up to find the most beautiful human he had ever seen standing before him. Young, even for a human, likely not even twenty, he was sheer perfection. A halo of chestnut curls framed a soft face, pale skin, cherry red lips, and expressive chocolate coloured eyes. He was of average height but slim and willowy, and he was looking at Anthony, _ really looking _ at him. 

Rocked by the fact that a human was acting as if his glamour wasn’t being cast at all, all Anthony could do was nod dumbly and then follow the man through the mostly empty diner towards a booth at the back. “Figured you’d prefer something a little more secluded,” the waiter said, offering a warm smile. A glance down at his name badge revealed his name - Peter.

“Thank you,” Anthony replied when he’d finally found his voice. 

“Would you like to see our selections, sir? I can bring over a menu if you’d like.”

“Selections?”

Peter blushed a little but held Anthony’s eye, something that no human had done in almost fourteen hundred years. “Our selection of BRBs, sir.”

He arched a brow, a little taken aback by Peter’s forwardness. “You’re so sure that I’m _ one of them_, are you, boy?”

“Forgive me, sir, but it’s a knack I have. I can always tell.”

“Really? Always?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“That’s a dangerous skill to speak so freely of.”

Peter shrugged. “I don’t just tell anyone.”

“Yet you told me.”

“Yeah well, it’s kind of my job to give top quality service and I thought it might expedite matters.” He smirked. “Yet here we are.”

Anthony chuckled, deciding that he liked the kid. “Very well. I’ll have the A- if you have it, please,” he said, ordering his preferred type.

“Certainly, sir. I’ll be right back.” 

He watched as Peter left, his eyes lingering on his long neck and the tilt of his head. He felt the stirrings of something deep inside, something that he’d long thought dead within him. 

Longing.

On one hand it was startling, to have such strong emotions after all this time, but on the other, he was relieved. They were called monsters for good reason at times, since living for hundreds or even thousands of years could strip away all vestiges of compassion and empathy. Anthony liked to think that he hadn’t allowed himself to fall so far, and yet he kept everyone at an arm’s length, refusing to connect with anyone, vampyre or human. Deep down he knew that it wasn’t because he wasn’t able to feel anymore, it was simply because he was scared. Scared that if he connected with someone, he would eventually lose them. Best not to get attached in the first place. There was a human adage, _ best to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, _but they didn't have to carry that grief with them for as long as Anthony would have to. To them it was fleeting, over within a hundred years, not a heavy burden to be carried for ten times that.

Of course, if he found a vampyre that he could be with, the point would be moot, but he rarely associated with his kind these days and hadn’t come across any that elicited such feelings within him. No, the only one who had awoken anything within him in a thousand years was the boy returning to his table at this very moment.

This very human boy.

_ You could turn him_, a traitorous voice in his mind whispered but he quickly shunted that away. He would never do that to someone unless he was asked and he doubted very much that Peter would want this kind of life. His gift of recognising vampyre, even through a glamour, hinted that he was more familiar with their world than an ordinary human had any right to be and if he’d wanted to be turned, Anthony was fairly certain that he would have found someone to do it by now. 

“Here’s your beverage, sir,” Peter said politely as he placed the bottle down on the table, along with a serviette.

Not quite knowing why he said it, he replied with, “Anthony. My name is Anthony.”

The smile that he got in return for that was blinding and a warmth spread within his chest, very near the place where his heart once beat. He smiled back at Peter, a foreign feeling, but a welcome one nonetheless. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anthony,” Peter said, his warm eyes locked on the vampyre, seeing him, seeing right inside of him.

“You’re...different,” Anthony said softly, tentatively. “You’re not like the others.”

“Other humans?” Peter asked. At the nod in reply, he said, “No, no I’m not. Then again, you seem different too.”

Anthony nodded again, unable to do anything but agree. “Yes, I am.”

The bell above the door tinkled and Peter looked over his shoulder, then turned back with a disappointed expression. “I’d better go and seat them. Sorry,” and then he was gone, back to his job.

Anthony sat alone, drinking his BRB, pondering this interaction. It was ridiculous really - they’d exchanged less than a handful of sentences and here he was, reevaluating his life choices. He was alone, he had always been alone, so why did he suddenly think that a companion would be a good idea now? 

_ Because you’re lonely _ that little voice spoke up again.

He didn’t dismiss this as quickly, since it was a truth that he had accepted for a while now. That didn’t mean that he was going to change his very way of life though. This _ worked, _the way he lived now, it kept him relatively safe and free from harm. Bringing someone into the fold would open him up to outside influences, outside dangers, and that would be exponentially worse if he turned someone. New vampyres needed a lot of one on one time if they weren’t to turn feral, and he would need to find somewhere safe to do that. Anthony had been a vagrant for centuries, he didn't have anywhere safe to do that, no where of his own.

_ Then get a place _ the voice said.

He sighed, and sipped on his BRB, knowing that all of this was moot since Peter wasn’t going to just up and leave his life for a vampyre he’d just met. It was best to just forget the whole crazy idea.

As he nursed his drink, Anthony watched the patrons of the diner, watched Peter. The kid was polite to everyone, though Anthony didn't see him give anyone his intense focus like he had done for him. It made him happy, knowing that he’d been treated differently, that Peter thought of him as being special. His eyes lingered on the boy, on his lithe form, the delicate arch of his neck, and for one brief moment, allowed himself to indulge the thought of sinking his fangs into the pale skin, of drinking the rich blood that flowed in his veins. 

If he’d been able, he would have appeared flushed the next time that Peter dropped by his table to see if he needed anything. He refused to act embarrassed, to give away his thoughts, so he maintained eye contact with the kid, assured him that he had everything that he needed, and watched as Peter walked off, allowing himself a moment to admire his plump ass. 

He’d just drained his bottle fifteen minutes later when Peter appeared with another, as well as a lemonade, but he didn't yet set it down. “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

Anthony raised a brow at that but wordlessly gestured at the seat on the other side of the booth. Peter grinned and slid the BRB across to Anthony, then sat down opposite with his lemonade. “You won’t get in trouble with the boss for slacking off?”

Peter shook his head. “Nope, I’m on my break. I can sit wherever I want during it.”

“And you chose to sit with me?”

The kid surprised Anthony by pinning him with a smouldering look. “You intrigue me, Anthony. I want to get to know you better.”

Trying not to choke on the mouthful of BRB he’d just taken, Anthony quickly reevaluated the human opposite him. Peter might have appeared sweet and innocent at first but it was now apparent that that was just what he wanted people to think. Still, he had no idea what he was toying with, and Anthony told him so, bluntly. “Look, kid, I get it - I’m vampyre, which some people find alluring, but trust me, you don’t want anything to do with my kind. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

“I disagree. I know _ exactly _ what I’m dealing with,” Peter argued.

“Oh really?” Anthony drawled. “Pray tell, how is that?”

“Because I was raised by two vampyre.”

Anthony knew that his jaw had fallen open in shock - not exactly a distinguished look - but he had not been expecting that response. “What? How?” he gasped.

“My parents were killed in a car accident when I was two. I was adopted by Ben and May Parker, a vampyre couple a year later. They were always honest with me about who and what they were, even if back then the world at large didn't know. I grew up around your kind, Anthony, so to the contrary, I _ do _ know what I’m dealing with.” He leaned in and deliberately ran his eyes down over the vampyre’s form, his tongue darting out to lick over his top lip. “There’s something about you, something that draws me in. I want to get to know you better, I want to know what it’s like to be yours.”

“And how do you think they’d feel if they knew that you were trying to seduce a vampyre who is seventy times your age?” he demanded, impressed that his voice hadn’t cracked under the sensual scrutiny he was being subjected to. Anthony wanted Peter, wanted him badly, but he still had a conscience, even after all this time, and he couldn’t allow this boy to throw away his entire life, just for him.

“It wouldn’t matter to them because they’re both dead,” Peter told him, his voice filled with sadness. “But I think they would have liked you.”

“How did it happen?” he heard himself ask, while that little voice whispered, _ he’s just as alone as you are. _

“We were out one night for my sixteenth birthday, and a group of men saw two vampyre with a human teenager. They assumed that I was in danger and they tried to ‘rescue’ me,” Peter explained bitterly. “They killed them, killed Ben and May right in front of me, and then they dragged me away as I cried, telling me that I was now safe from the monsters.” His eyes had welled over and he swiped away the tears with one hand. “They refused to listen, to hear that Ben and May loved me, protected me, were all the family I had. They slaughtered them in cold blood and then had the nerve to say that vampyre are the monsters.” His eyes were red rimmed with sorrow and Anthony felt an overwhelming urge to protect this boy, to keep him safe from the horrors that he’d been exposed to, “So, you see, Anthony, I _ do _ know what I’m getting into, and from where I’m sitting, it’s a damn sight better than what the human race has to offer me.”

“Wait, what? Are you saying...?”

Peter nodded, and reached out and took hold of the vampyre’s hand. “Yes, I want you to turn me, I want to be with you.”

“But we’ve only just met,” Anthony whispered, bewildered. 

“Don’t tell me you didn't feel it,” Peter whispered back. “Don’t tell me that you didn't feel that connection we had as soon as we saw each other.”

He couldn’t deny it but was surprised that a human had recognised it too. “You saw me,” he said softly. “I’ve gone centuries making sure that nobody saw me, the real me, but you did, Peter. You saw _me_.”

“It was like I was seeing the light for the first time in my life.”

“But what if I only bring you darkness? My kind…” He looked away, unable to hold Peter’s gaze.

His hand was squeezed gently and then picked up and he felt the soft press of lips against his knuckles. “Your kind are not soulless blood suckers, not unless you choose to be. Ben and May taught me that, taught me that we are who we choose to be.”

Anthony took a deep breath, one that he didn’t actually need to take (the only reason he breathed was so his vocal chords could operate). “Are you sure?” He finally met those warm, brown eyes, needing the boy to be certain. “Once I have you, Peter, I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to let you go.”

The smile was back, the one that made Anthony feel like he was whole again for the first time in fourteen hundred years. “I don’t ever want you to let me go.”

He looked around the diner, noticed that it had gotten quiet and asked, “So, do you need to work out the rest of your shift?”

Peter laughed at that and stood up, holding out a hand to Anthony who took it immediately. “No, I think they’ll manage just fine without me.”

Together they left, walked outside and found that the rain had stopped and that the night wasn't so oppressive anymore. They remained hand in hand, and Anthony wasn’t sure where they were going, simply followed Peter, trusting him. Eventually they arrived at a small apartment and Peter went straight to the bedroom, pulled out a suitcase and left it open on the bed. “Where shall we go?” he asked, his eyes bright with their future before him.

“Wherever you want to go,” Anthony replied, not caring so long as he had Peter by his side.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Rome,” Peter mused. “I would very much like to explore such history.”

The warmth in his chest was back and it felt right, that Anthony would be going home once his heart had been claimed. He smiled and nodded. “Then we shall go to Rome.”

Peter packed the bare minimum, taking only some clothes and two photos - one of his parents, and one of Ben and May. He locked the apartment door and slid the key under it and then turned and left without a glance back, so sure of his new life ahead of him. 

They took the back stairs and exited the building into a small side street, quiet and dark and Anthony found that he was tugged to a stop. “What is it?” he asked.

“A-, that’s your favourite, right?” Peter asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Tony quirked a brow. “Yes.”

Peter grinned. “See, it was meant to be.” He touched his chest. “I’m A-.”

Anthony chuckled and pulled the boy close, dragging his nose across the soft skin of his cheek until he could whisper into his ear. “And here I was, thinking you couldn’t get any more delicious.”

Peter’s breath had hitched and he tilted his head, exposing his throat. “What are you waiting for then? Have a taste.”

Anthony felt his fangs drop down and he nuzzled once against the pale column before him. “Don’t mind if I do,” he murmured, and then he bit down, claiming Peter for his very own.


End file.
